President Taylor doesn't die

[civver_764]

I'm in an American history mood. So say that Zachary Taylor never died and lived out his full term as president. What consequences would this have for the United States?

The immediate result would of course be high potential for a civil war in 1850. Taylor was for the most part opposed to the compromise of 1850 and ready to fight Texas militarily over the whole New Mexico-Texas border dispute.

And what would result from this? Slavery is outlawed earlier? Slavery is outlawed later? The south ends up winning? The north still wins? Zachary Taylor is hailed as one of the nation's greatest presidents? People in 2010 don't even remember the union because it disintegrates?

This is probably the era I know least about in American history. I'm interested to hear what you guys have to say.

 

[Louis XXIV]

Probably none of those. 1850 made everyone unhappy, but it was a compromise that balanced things out. Probably what would have happened is it would have delayed a few states into the Union until a different President was in office, but that's about it. I don't think it was quite at boiling point yet. The Presidency still needed the South to win. The demographic shift would have to be complete to give a northern party devoted to ending expansion of slavery the Presidency. Then the south will secede.

In short, I think it'll change things slightly but they'll start to even out with Pierce and Buchanan and proceed into the Civil War the same way.

 

[Truthy]

The Union would have won the Civil War, whether it began in 1850 or 1860. The North was far more industrialized than the Confederacy. Its superiority of manufacturing and industry would have ensured victory in most cases. However, I believe things could have turned out differently without Lincoln's leadership resulting in an even worse state of moral than the one that already existed.

 

[GoodGame]

I'm in an American history mood. So say that Zachary Taylor never died and lived out his full term as president. What consequences would this have for the United States?

The immediate result would of course be high potential for a civil war in 1850. Taylor was for the most part opposed to the compromise of 1850 and ready to fight Texas militarily over the whole New Mexico-Texas border dispute.

And what would result from this? Slavery is outlawed earlier? Slavery is outlawed later? The south ends up winning? The north still wins? Zachary Taylor is hailed as one of the nation's greatest presidents? People in 2010 don't even remember the union because it disintegrates?

This is probably the era I know least about in American history. I'm interested to hear what you guys have to say.

I think your judgement is correct, at least in that Taylor would have been more hawkish and less likely to achieve compromise with the South for slavery expansion. I think by not being abolitionist that while there might have been revolts, I don't think there necessarily would have been a unified secession, unless Federal suppression of revolts was repeatedly mishandled.

Taylor strikes me as pro-Constitution, pro-Federal, pro-status quo, but against slavery only in its expansion. I think a serious, related question is can you defend status quo and still deal in a unified manor with the issue of bounty hunters hunting freed slaves in anti-slavery states? I don't think it's possible, and an active abolitionist movement with underground railroad inflames it. So I think the Civil War still happens regardless, and maybe Taylor stifles compromise, but then maybe he also stifles minor rebellions before a war breaks out.

So if the ACW starts sooner, when where and why? Who leads them? Lee would be at West Point in 1852. EDIT: Jefferson Davis would be probably politically active then, but he'd be kind of new to the game---would he have popularity?

 

[Dachs]

The Union would have won the Civil War, whether it began in 1850 or 1860. The North was far more industrialized than the Confederacy. Its superiority of manufacturing and industry would have ensured victory in most cases. However, I believe things could have turned out differently without Lincoln's leadership resulting in an even worse state of moral than the one that already existed.

You're cute when you're determinist.

 

[Perfection]

He'd still be president to this day.

 

[Truthy]

You're cute when you're determinist.

Would you disagree?

 

[Dachs]

Yeah, I would. I think the South had a chance in the first war...a puncher's chance, but a chance. Significantly less chance in any subsequent war.